What is the new home appliance consumption trend in Korea?

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has led to a change in the home appliance consumption trends in Korea, with increased popularity of electronics helping household chores and less demand for grooming and beauty-related products, according to the retail industry.

According to Homeplus, a South Korean discount chain, the sales of dishwashers and dish dryers jumped by 36 times in March and April compared to a year earlier.

On the list of best-selling products by sales, those machines soared from 40th place to 18th.

As people choose to cook more at home amid the social distancing trend, the sales of electric skillets and gas and electric stoves have gone up by 28 percent and 3 percent, respectively, the retailer said.

The sales growth in electronic devices related to schools was also notable, as schools have opened the new semester via online classes. The increased remote working also added to the consumption pattern, the retailer said.

Laptops saw sales grow 40 percent on-year, while sales of other IT gadgets rose 177 percent during same period. The sales of keyboards and mouse went up 50 percent. The sales of printers also rose by 35 percent.

The consumption of games consoles, such as ones from Nintendo, also surge 143 percent on-year, while computer games edged up 16 percent.

With people spending more time at home to avoid contracting the COVID-19, the sales of beauty-related gadgets have gone down.

Homeplus said the ranking of hair dryers dropped from 18th last year to 23rd in terms of sales, while electric shavers slid from 25th to 27th.